Category: Budget

TBT: Money Edition

After a few close calls with not having enough money to get home from Manhattan, I quickly tried to change my ways.

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I am not sure as to when I started shopping like I had money, but it must have been way back in high school after I started my first job. I looked for deals, and not so good deals: whatever way I could get the look and brand that I wanted. Although I have worked through the better part of my life, I always found a way to not save money, whether it was a new bag, or a movie that I had to see: it was always the same story…maybe next time.

After I met my boyfriend, we finally realized how materialistic our lives had become, and set off on a journey of trying to save up for a future (key word: trying). It started off slowly, as we were in different countries, and I was living with my parents. I couldn’t seem to shake the urge to buy a new outfit every Friday, or a new makeup palette each paycheck. In hindsight, I was making up the excuse that since I didn’t have to pay for anything other than my coffee in the morning—everything else that I earned was fair game to be spent. Let’s just call this my immature stage. I started hiding my online buys from my parents, and racing the clock to get home before them so I could quickly dispose of the evidence. As for my boyfriend, he was buying items from 100 packs of batteries to a signed Oliver Khan jersey that went for a cool 100 euro. Clearly, we needed some sort of therapy.

Although I spent most of my time in school or working, I still find time to blow through my $500 paycheck every two weeks. A Sephora, Forever 21, J Crew, and Target trip were necessities every two-week period. Not to mention the amount of online purchases from ShoeDazzle, Etsy, and Birchbox that found their ways into my mail slot each week, too. By the time the Thursday before my paycheck came, I was counting up quarters in my car to buy myself a cup of coffee. Did I mention I wasn’t paying for my own gas, school loans, phone bill, or necessities? If I could, I would go back in time to give myself a good shake. What the heck was wrong with me? How did I manage to waste away thousands of dollars on items that I can’t even remember?

After a few close calls with not having enough money to get home from Manhattan, I quickly tried to change my ways. I asked my mom if she needed help around her office, and she offered to have me do her filing. Oh, how the mighty had fallen. I stored away the extra cash in an unused wallet, and tried to forget about it. Every now and again, the urge would creep up, and all my progress would crash down around me.

Fast forward to a year ago: my boyfriend and I were planning on getting engaged, I was living in Philadelphia, and I was still on my dad’s bankroll. I was miles ahead of my past self, but I was nowhere close to where I needed to be. I was living in my future parent-in-law’s house, and I was still depending on my dad’s gas card and EZpass to get me to work. I chose a career in retail, and as many know…that doesn’t exactly shout, “money.” I was always looking for a quick fix, when all I needed were 3 things. Three things that changed the way I thought about money, and has now allowed me to continue my career in retail, while purchasing a house, handling my own student loans, and never being late on a house payment.

  • I never thought of money in the correct way. I always thought money was a gateway to a shopping spree, or expendable. I seemed to always be waiting for the next paycheck: I would mess up my “saving plan” by spending it all in Nordstrom, and I would say to myself, “I’ll just wait for the next time I get paid to start saving.” All successful savings starts with a little bit of self-control, and just a bit more of planning. Living paycheck to paycheck? Me too. With a little planning, your miniscule paycheck will seem doable. Sit down and calculate how much money you need each day. For me, I like a coffee in the morning, and that won’t change. Calculate about $2.95 for a Venti iced, and a little extra for a treat at work (if you can). Depending on how often you get paid, take the number of days in between paychecks and multiply your $5.00 per day by that number. That is how much you need for spending money. Afterwards, plug in your monthly costs: electric, water, or mortgage. As for grocery shopping, make sure to keep your receipts to see how much you are spending, and what your average is. Always add that into your monthly costs. Check to see if there are ways to cut the fat, and what is non-negotiable. I use the app Minted in order to get my finances in order. Although I tend to like writing down things on paper, I do like the ease of an app in order to take my finances with me! Minted allows you to see how much you spend, where money is being spent the most, and it even lets you set your own budgets!
  • Utilizing credit cards and bank accounts responsibly. We all are in the same situation; taking out money can be a hassle. In this day? Who needs it? Everyone takes a credit or debit card, so why bother with cash? By taking out your paycheck spending money the day you get paid, it lets you envision your money being taken away from you instead of swiping a card. On bigger and necessary purchases, it is okay to whip out a Mastercard every so often, but make sure that you are not living beyond your means. For my husband and I, we pay off each purchase in the same billing cycle that is was made in. If your bank or credit card does not have an easy app to maneuver, I highly suggest moving your business elsewhere. I judge service of a company on how easy their app is to move around in. If I have to jump through hoops to find my balance, pay it off, or check out my statements, I won’t be staying too long. For my own bank account, I chose PNC bank. I have the virtual wallet account, and I cannot say one bad thing about it. The app is super easy, and customer service is out of this world. My favorite part? No minimum. The bank likes to give you a threshold to let you know when you are low, but I have gone under, and I was not charged a ridiculous amount of money. (Looking at you, TDbank.)
  • No one hates free money, right? Every other website on the planet is banking that you will give them your email address and not hate the amount of spam that they send to you every day. Something that has worked for me is being a product tester. I got the hookup from a friend who was a science major at a local college. The testing center had gone to her school looking for product testers and she signed up. When she told me about it, she sent me the email. I filled out the survey, and I was called in to do the product testing! The studies vary from products to take home, while others take about a half an hour to do at the actual center. Many times the money is around $50, but other times, it can be around $100. That can be a quick fix for money if you are in dyer need!

Many times, people who look at money as a necessary evil, make money the enemy. Money, when handled correctly, is able to take a backseat to what is important in your life, and just be there when needed. After my husband and I got a handle on our finances, we were finally able to sit back, live within our means, and learn to make sacrifices. We can’t all have a Prada bag for each day of the week.

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No Dog is Free

Clearance puppies ain’t cheap.

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A couple of months ago, my husband and I were getting something most folk call, “puppy fever.” We just purchased our first house, we had a handle on the bills, and we had worked out our daily schedules. There was nothing serious thrown around until my husband’s best friend told us about a dog that needed some love.

As the all time biggest pushover, I decided to take a leap of faith and make the trek out to Philly. As I sat in my car, I felt as if I was about to go on a first date. I was nervous, and excited to meet the potential newest member of our little family. Voices in the back of my head made me doubt myself, as visions of not having enough money for the mortgage danced in the back of my head. I still went through with the meeting…as I said, I’m a pushover.

As I walked up the stairs to meet this nugget, I could feel myself getting clammy. I’ve had dogs for years, and yet I was standing outside an apartment door with my husband’s best friend asking myself, “Do I put my hand out first? What if she hates me?”

As he opened the door, a 50 pound lug of a mutt came over to me and immediately jumped on me. Her name was Roxie, and she was free. I can’t exactly remember the next couple of hours, as we trotted around the parking lot of the apartment complex. She was far from leash trained, and as we have found out recently, far from being a listener either. 🙂

I made the game time decision to bring her home with me, with the option to bring her back is she wasn’t right for us. The first night, I renamed her Marlow and she slept in our room. She was very attached to both my husband and I as we tried to watch TV before crashing from a long day. She cried for the better part of the next day, and would not stay in her crate. In fact, she literally BROKE a $100 crate by pure force and anxiety. She wasn’t crate trained either. So, that was fun. My first day as the owner of Marlow, and I had already spend close to $500 on supplies for her.

After having a couple of accidents,tearing most of our office walls to shreds, and stealing my favorite blanket as her own, I decided to take her to a vet about separation anxiety. When I say she would lose it when we left…she would LOSE IT. Most of our wall behind our office door was scraped and torn from 1) getting out of her crate and 2) being in a bedroom for a couple of hours. Needless to say, she doesn’t stay in there anymore.

Anywhos, that vet visit came to a whopping $100 for the visit, and the anxiety meds. (Which we never picked up because I cannot rationalize giving my animal a human sedative.) After a couple of days, and lots of advice from dog owners, we learned other ways to develop a routine with her so that she wouldn’t lose her shit each time we left. After a week or so, we started seeing marked improvement.

After another week or so, homegirl decided to get all fuzzy eyed on us, and start peeing everywhere in the house. Let’s call this vet visit another $150 for a UTI treatment…for a freaking dog. Girlfriend got it bad, and it took well over a week for all of the symptoms to go away. So, let that sink into your carpet…no, literally. -_-

Over the holidays, I worked long hours, and attempted to see my parents in New York a couple of times. With my husband being injured, I felt it best to let Marlow stay at the pet hotel…and JEEZ was that another whopping total of about $300 for all of the stays put together. Not to mention the first time we took her to be boarded and she got so nervous that she went to the bathroom all over herself and we had no choice but to get a bath included, partially because “the other dogs won’t go near her.” By the way, that’s super expensive when they are 50 pounds and over.

I am not exactly complaining about Marlow, because she is a love…I guess, after seeing all of the animals and pets that have been given to children this past holiday, I have to say that although Marlow is tough, my husband and I saw the meaning of having a dog. When a dog is given to you, or a dog is “free,” it’s not. It takes a real fool to not realize that, and this spoiled brat will be with us for at least 10 years or so.

 

 

 

Damn mutts. 🙂

Buying a House

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Buying a house? Like a real house? To some, that kind of thing makes people quiver. According my husband, it’s the best possible move for us to make rather than renting. Granted, everyone is different…but in our real estate market (PA), it is certainly the right move.

But, buying a house comes with a couple of really…real responsibilities. Ones that you wouldn’t imagine in your wildest dreams. Coming from a girl rifled with anxiety and over thinking, you would think I wouldn’t miss something as big as..oh, a water heater, a roof, or a purchase of a lawn mower…but, we all make mistakes. Right?

I’m here to walk you through this, because as much as other people say, it is almost impossible for a young couple to buy a house…I’m here to tell you, it’s possible. You just have to plan a hell of a lot. (Which is hard for me)

First thing you have to get in order:

Start saving: I’m not talking about $5 every paycheck. I’m talking $100. Rip that band aid off, and get it together. kate spade will ALWAYS be there…and you don’t need to keep up your closet’s appearance, you have bigger fish to fry. If you are already paying rent, make sure to budget yourself. Sit down, and budget into your budget to save about $50-$100 each paycheck…or even every month. It adds up, and it is so worth it in the end.

Start a Savings Account: Transfer your monthly deposit into a savings account that you can’t get your hands on if you have a moment of weakness in Longchamp. We chose to go with Capital One 360, and it seems to give us the best interest rate for the amount of money we had saved up for the house. It also has a really easy app and very pleasant customer service people. We all know I’m hard to please, so obviously they’re doing it right.

Save your pennies: Okay, so this one is dumb, but it helps Michael and me have a little extra cash for when we do want to go out to dinner. Usually, I don’t use cash, but every once in a while we both will withdraw a couple 20’s and use it for the week. ANY change we get goes straight into a huge vase in our room. Since Michael used TDbank, we can change in our pennies and dimes for some crisp hundies if we wait long enough. Some use it as a vacation fund, or a puppy fund…but we use it as a food fund because we’re in love with going out to eat.

Which brings me to my next point….budget your ass.

Sorry, but it has to be said. You literally have no idea how much you hemorrhage in money in ONE DAY if you don’t watch yourself. I’m all about the treat yo’ self…but don’t treat yo’ self to a Chanel if you can only buy a tote from the line at Home Goods. Embrace the cheap, and don’t get tears on your new reusable tote.

I go by the rule: $5 a day on any item you want. Make your food at home, and don’t buy any snacks during the day. Now, the $5 rule is only applicable to frivolous purchases. We all know you have to pump your gas, and buy your groceries…so my $5 is used on my coffee…because I am a beast without it. I sit down after receiving my check and budget in my gas for a week, my groceries, student loans, water bills, electric bills, and our mortgage. After calculating all of our expenses, I see how much we have left.

Since both Michael and I get paid bi-weekly…we multiply 5 times 14…which is obviously 70. I usually give myself $100 in case I forget my lunch one day…but you can you know…not eat or something. I then subtract my “allowance” from my total left…and viola! What you save in that paycheck. It seems like a lot of extra work, but my co-worker turned me into a saving machine when she told me about her unwritten rule! ( thanks G!)

Anyway, back to the important stuff, the house and stuff.

Go Slow: Trust me, you would rather be in your situation and saving for 3 years than buy a house without much planning and be house poor…the worst kind of poor. Not only are you bound by contracts and bills…but you can also be charged a hell of a lot of interest, fees, and garnishing of your freaking paycheck if you can’t pay. This holds true for buying that beautiful new couch for your cozy new living room as well. If you can get a free couch for now, TAKE IT. Take anything you can and say thank you. It doesn’t matter if you don’t like the color for your theme…take it and don’t complain. Second hand furniture is the best kind…because it’s mostly FREE. Save that money for a new couch down the line, when you can afford to drop $700 and not cry as they swipe your credit card…oops.

Expect the impossible: You think you won’t have a bum roof? You will. Concrete problems? Yes, those too. Make sure to allot for the unexpected and impossible, because 9 times out of 10, a new (for you) home will have it’s issues, whether it’s carpenter ants or a water heater that leaks…make sure to are prepared for it, because it will happen.

Now that I’ve thoroughly discouraged you…sorry…I will leave you with one thing:

While I am sitting at my kitchen table, that we bought by ourselves for $500 off of Close5, I will say, it feels pretty damn good to know that I have at least on thing handled.

Now, if I could get my dog to stop jumping onto my bed…

Love you, mean it.

K

25 Things You Should Spend Your Tax Refund On

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Tax season is upon us, and that can only mean one thing…refunds. A tax refund is a refund on taxes when the tax liability is less than the taxes paid. In other words, it’s treat yo’ self o’clock. Get it together girl…this means there’s another list here and you best be excited. I’ve come up with some fun things to do with your refund (if you are lucky enough to get one). 


25 Things You Should Spend Your Tax Refund On

  1. Save it.  For a house, or a dog…whatever you want.
  2. Go see a movie.
  3. Do this.
  4. A new handbag.
  5. A massage.
  6. A concert. A Taytay concert…or maybe Korn…who knows?! It’s up to ya’ll.
  7. Take a bartending class. Pick up some extra cash, YAS gurl.
  8. Here’s a tip: get the entire refund in $1.00 bills and roll around in it.
  9. Buy everyone shots at the bar. This one is dumb, don’t do it.
  10. Get one of these: Southland Cotton. Instagram it to me. I want one, and I’ll live vicariously through you.
  11. Go on a vacation.
  12. Buy your family’s birthday presents in advance.
  13. Pay off you credit card balance.
  14. Take up another language…or just pretend to.
  15. Go get that Target Lilly Pulitzer.
  16. Get all of your t-shirts monogrammed.
  17. Buy some SoPro.
  18. Pretend you’re in a rap video.
  19. Invest it.
  20. Take care of some of dat principle in your student loan.
  21. Sob because you didn’t get money back.
  22. Get mad because you had to pay the state.
  23. Go out on a date with your love.
  24. Go out on a date with your girls.
  25. Buy a new wardrobe….cause girl, you’re too fabulous to do laundry!

Well, that’s that! I’m using mine to get some fabu home decor for my pseudo house. You know, the usual. Anyway…

Love you, mean it. 


Xoxo Kate 

Kate Spade Surprise Sale

It breaks my heart to say that I found that I didn’t have the impulse to spend my money on the beautiful items on the website.

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Hi Saving Beauties! Let’s just talk about a little thing called a vice. Mine? kate spade. Ugh, my favorite types of handbags, and my ultimate splurge items all come from kate. I’m not sure what they are trying to do to me…sending me e-mails about a “surprise” wedding sale with 65% off of everything wedding. Sigh. But, after looking through all of the sale items (yes I looked!) I am happy to report back to all of you, I didn’t break. Yes, that cake topper is a must…and yes those “Mrs” earrings are to die for…but I don’t need them. It breaks my heart to say that I found that I didn’t have the impulse to spend my money on the beautiful items on the website. Not that I’m not KICKING myself over it…but I am becoming more responsible with my money. I’ll give you an example: As you all know, I have to pay my own phone bill now, and I’ve discovered that by spending a mere $100 on a totes adorable handbag is very tempting, I could also use that money to save up for my guy’s birthday present AND pay my part of the phone bill. My logic that “what’s 100 dollars going to do anyway?” has been thrown out of my Mazda 3 window like no one’s business. I need that $100 for me to LIVE…and you do too. If you have the extra money, be my guest: kate spade. I do strongly advise you to enter (if you dare) and practice self control. Let’s call this approach-avoidance therapy. Go in, look at the items, and DON’T buy anything.   One tip: After you receive the e-mail…because they are tricky and make you enter it in order to see the sale, go to your inbox and UNSUBSCRIBE. We’ve talked about this before. I feel like a broken record 😉   Anyway, tune in for another post later this week. Love you…mean it Kate

Monthly Faves

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This whole monthly favorites things goes way over my head…why? Because doing a monthly favorites means that I have to follow a schedule…and homegirl doesn’t follow roads, she makes them. There.

However, my friends like when I do these…and I have to say, I like them too. Why? Because I get to publicly shame myself about the amount of money I spent these past months…along with showing you all the super adorable things that I purchased. Let’s just say, I’ve had better days.

  1. Fleece Lined Leggings: Got these betches from Francesca’s and I couldn’t be happier. We all know that leggings are sometimes not every girl’s best friend…but these act like a cozy boyfriend snuggling you. Not only do they live up to their name, but they are thick! THICK! Leggings that aren’t thin and revealing. Anyway, it’s a good buy if you’re looking for a new pair. If you’re not, consider it…because they’re awesome.
  2. iPhone 6 with Kate Spade Phone Case:  Mostly had to get this because of the whole growing up thing, but I will tell you…what a good purchase. Say what you will about apple products, but there’s something wonderful about a new iPhone. It’s like starting over. Anyway, this phone is more important to me because I bought it, and it’s a symbol of beginning my grown up life. The Kate Spade case? Just a personal touch. It’s pretty and I love it. It’s called the Trapping Dots in navy. Anyway, it’s pretty durable…except that most of these fashion cases are mostly just for show. They aren’t for protection.
  3. Lilly Pulitzer Skipper Printed Popover: Color: Brewster Blue Reel Me In: Expensive? Yes. Worth it? Yes. It’s a cross between a casual work-out top and a cozy snuggle shirt. My vote? I’m into it…and you should be too. I’ve been wearing it non-stop and probably needs to get washed, but I don’t care.  Plus, they come in a bunch of cute patterns and there is even one in a full zip!  This was def. my big frivolous purchase for the month, and I’m okay with it. Don’t judge me. I can feel you judging.
  4. Patagonia Women’s Lightweight Synchilla® Snap-T® Fleece Pullover: I caved, sorry to say. But I keep seeing all these people super warm in PA and I just couldn’t stand it anymore. Yea, this pull-over is everything and more. Is it just me, or do North Face jackets let you suffer while the cold air runs right through the jacket? Just me? I don’t think so. Anyway, they’re having a crazy sale right now, and I’m super jealous that it’s cheaper now than when I bought it…so I’m annoyed.
  5. vineyard vines Patchwork Wallet: Literally the cutest canvas wallet I’ve ever seen. Not only is the quality phenomenal, but the pattern is a classic. I know that my patchwork pattern isn’t being shown anymore, but there are some super cute wallets that are just as wonderful as mine that are available now. Get going and get one, because there is free shipping over $125.00! Add something on and get some free shipping!

Anyway, I can’t believe myself with my money situation…but it’s getting better. Nothing is perfect, and we all deserve a little treat!

How To Sell On Ebay

Don’t try to sell anything that you don’t own…because that causes problems that homegirl can’t help you with.

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Need some cash? I know I do. Well, we all I know I need cash…but hush. Ebay is a great way to make some extra money by selling what you have and cleaning out your room in the process. Many people have great luck when selling online in auctions or using the “buy it now” option. Here are some tips and tricks that can help you get some extra cash before the weekend!

To get started, you must determine what you are going to sell, and make sure that it is clean and ready to ship at a moment’s notice. Yes, that means don’t think about selling that purse when you still have your wallet and crap in it! Also, don’t try to sell anything that you don’t own…because that causes problems that homegirl can’t help you with. Sorry.

To sell like a champ, follow these 5 simple steps!

  1.    Put Yourself in the Buyer’s Shoes
  2.    Take Great Pictures
  3.    Write a Killer Description
  4.    Price It Right
  5.    Be Agreeable

Put Yourself in the Buyer’s Shoes

It is easy to just think like a seller, with money on your mind. However, think about how you shop when you are looking for something. What kind of keywords do you use? What kinds of pictures catch your eyes? Lastly, what kind of posts do you stray away from? It can be a very slippery slope after coming off sketchy to a potential buyer. Make sure to be patient and clear when dealing with clients, and you’ll be sure to sell your items with no issues!

Take Great Pictures

People are visual. What is the first thing that you look for when trying to buy an item online? The pictures! Make sure that your pictures are clear and your items are displayed honestly: without hiding any flaws. (This will make for a bad review later) Make sure to take pictures of your item from each angle and use a lot of light.

Write a Killer Description

Be sure to define your item with plenty of descriptive words. Make suggestions about how to use your item to try to sell it. Be a salesperson. Use words like, “Fantastic” or “New” and “Updated” to spruce up your item listing. Be sure to tag and use keywords correctly. Ebay is an online “marketplace” in which sellers and buyers come freely to bid and barter on items they want!

Price It Right

By using a total like $13.99, a person is most likely going to associate the total of the item to be $13 instead of $14 plus tax and shipping. It is a trick that many stores use during sales and blowouts to move merchandise. Many consumers will associate the price with the lower number to justify the purchase. Try listing your item under the regular sale price by $5. This way, you are giving a great deal for your item. It may not be in the best condition, or be outdated by a couple of models. Give your buyer a break and be realistic with your prices!

Be Agreeable

If a buyer asks for a lower price, don’t disagree just yet! Compromise by lowering the price and asking if there is a way if he or she is able to pay for shipping. If the buyer is demanding lower prices and you don’t want to budge, don’t. But, don’t be rude in the process. If your item arrives broken, or isn’t what they wanted, take caution with voiding out returns. Without returns, many consumers will believe that there is a reason that you don’t want to take your item back. It is also important to have an open line of communication. Answer each question from the consumer with openness and honesty. If there is a problem with your item, describe it and be upfront. If you were in the buyer’s shoes, you may want some of these answers, too! It is important to keep the lines of communication open in order to have repeat customers.